


Denim and Rosebuds

by Streetlamp_Sunset



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, David Basically Raised Alexis, Future Fic, Gen, Headcanon, Kid Fic, Post-Canon, he's good with kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25065316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Streetlamp_Sunset/pseuds/Streetlamp_Sunset
Summary: Everything is the same. Except, Stevie and David got really high after Carl’s funeral and agreed to take custody of Denim in the likely event that it became necessary. A few months after David and Patrick’s wedding, Sean and Bree were deemed unfit parents.Stevie and David (and Patrick) co-parent a toddler.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer & Stevie Budd, Patrick Brewer & Stevie Budd & David Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd & David Rose, Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose
Comments: 23
Kudos: 115





	1. David

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the images, I just put them together.

“Hey,” Stevie said, after David picked up his phone, “remember when we got really, really high with Bree and Sean the night before they left town and signed those guardianship papers?” 

“Vividly,” David said, recalling just how funny he had thought it would be at the time, him and Stevie raising a baby out of the motel room he shared with his sister. Now, he had a business and a home. Also, hopefully, a very understanding husband, because David had some idea where she was going with this. It probably hadn’t been what Patrick had in mind when he asked David if he was ready to start the adoption process.

“Okay, good, because I’m in your driveway and a social worker is going to be here any minute with Denim,” Stevie said, “also, I may have told the government I live here.”

“Oh my god,” David said, making his way downstairs. Stevie let herself in and he met her in the hall. “What about Patrick?” David asked, as she toed off her shoes and followed him to the kitchen. 

“They know about Patrick,” Stevie said, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. “We all passed our preliminary background checks, they just need to do a home study.” The fact that the government thought his background qualified him to be a parent was deeply troubling, but that wasn’t what he had been referring to.

“We can’t just  _ adopt a baby _ without talking to Patrick,” David said, gesturing pointedly, “We had to have a two hour conversation last month, during which we adjusted both the home and store budgets five different ways, before we bought a dishwasher. Deni is going to be a lot more expensive than a kitchen appliance, Stevie.” Stevie sighed, fiddling with the sleeves of her hoodie.

“I know, I know, obviously we have to talk to Patrick,” she said, “but he’s my cousin, David. There is literally nobody else. The rest of his family is in prison. Or should be in prison. Or dead.” Her brows furrowed the way they did when she was trying not to cry. David looped an arm around her, tugging her against his chest. “We promised that we would take him.” They had. “Our adoption hearing is a month away,” she said, glancing up at him. “Even if we pass the home study and get temporary custody, it’s not official until then.”

“Okay, he’s already on his way here. Let’s just get through today,” David said, pulling out his phone to message Patrick. Stevie had mostly pulled herself together by the time the door rang. David pressed a kiss to her forehead and went to answer it. 

“Hi, David Rose?” the woman asked, but David was far more distracted by Deni. He looked a little dingy, even for Sean and Bree’s standards. His usually soft brown curls were greasy and matted to his head and his clothes were visibly dirty. The woman cleared her throat lightly. 

“Oh, yes, I’m David Rose,” David said. He would have shaken her hand, but she had Deni in one arm and a trash bag in the other. “Come on in, Stevie’s in the kitchen.”

“Thank you, mister Rose,” the woman said, stepping inside to take her shoes off on the mat. “My name is Lisa Gardener, Lisa works just fine.” David nodded, pushing the door shut behind her. Deni watched him over her shoulder. 

“Hi, buddy,” he said, softening his voice. Deni smiled in recognition.

“David,” he said, wiggling and stretching out his arms. “I want you to hold me.” 

“Can I take him?” David asked. Lisa gave him a soft smile, holding out the toddler.

“Of course, here you are,” she dug a clipboard out of her bag, following him down the hall. 

“I missed you, David,” Deni said, reaching up to pat his cheek. He reeked like cigarettes; David held him closer. 

“I missed you too, Deni,” he said, tucking Deni’s curls behind his ear. “I’m really glad you’re here, buddy.”

“This is all a formality, really,” Lisa said, as they arrived in the kitchen. “I’m just here to make sure you have a safe environment for Deni and he’s all yours.” The words needled at David’s heart. He didn’t know what he would do if Patrick didn’t want to keep him.

True to her word, the appointment went smoothly. Lisa pointed out a few safety things they would need to fix and had them sign temporary custodial papers. She handed Stevie the garbage bag, which apparently contained the rest of Deni’s clothes and a few diapers, and was on her way.

“I need a minute,” Stevie said after she left, passing Deni and the trash bag back to David. “I can cook dinner, if you watch him,” she said, scrubbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. David nodded, snagging a banana from the fruit bowl and carrying Deni to the living room. 

“David?” Patrick called a few minutes later. David took a deep breath, listening to the familiar sound of his husband arriving home. 

“In here,” David called, handing Deni a chunk of the banana. He still couldn’t be trusted to take small bites, which, while relatable, meant portioning his food. “Chew, buddy, we don’t need to eat it all at once.” Deni grinned and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. David sighed. Baby steps and consistency, he reminded himself. 

“Hi,” Patrick said, taking in the scene before sitting cross legged in front of them. “Who’s this?” David ran a hand down Deni’s back, stomach turning with nerves.

“Deni, this is my husband, Patrick,” David said. Deni waived, grinning around his mouthful. “This is Deni,” David said, forcing himself to look his husband in the eye. “His Dad is Stevie’s cousin and when we first met he was a little, tiny baby.” Deni giggled, smacking David’s sweater with a sticky hand.

“Was not,” he said, “look, I’m big.” David nodded seriously, handing him another chunk of fruit.

“Mmm, now you are,” he said. David looked back at Patrick, who was watching them with a soft look on his face. “Um, anyway, Stevie and I told Sean and Bree that we would raise him if they couldn’t.” Patrick kept control of his face, probably for Deni’s sake, and nodded for David to continue. “Stevie called this morning and said that a social worker was on their way here. They um, got charged with possession of a fu-whole lot of candy-”

“I know about meth, ’m not a baby,” Deni said indignantly, chomping on his banana.

“You shouldn't,” David said, smoothing a hand over his hair. “It’s not your fault, buddy, but that’s a very grown up substance, okay?” None of this was Deni’s fault. David felt like he might throw up again. Deni huffed, but nodded reluctantly, leaning into David’s body. 

“We have an adoption hearing next month,” David said. He couldn’t look at Patrick this time. Not when he asked him if he wanted this. It might break him if Patrick didn’t, because David would choose his husband, every time. Even if he had to sacrifice his own heart in the process. “Any decisions you do or don’t want to make-”

“David, hey, look at me,” Patrick said and David felt his fingers slide under his chin. They were wet. David realized he was crying. “Is this- you want to adopt him? You and Stevie?” he asked. David nodded, lip wobbling. Deni stood up, wrapping one hand around Patrick’s wrist and the other around David’s neck.

“Don’t cry, David,” Deni said, squeezing David’s neck. David took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

“It’s okay to cry, buddy,” Patrick said instead, rubbing Deni’s back. “David’s having a lot of feelings right now.” Patrick slid his hand to rest on David’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Deni turned to look at him, little eyebrows furrowing. 

“Daddy said it’s not,” he said and David’s heart cracked open a little bit more.

“Well, in this house it’s okay,” Patrick said, turning his wrist so he was holding Deni’s hand. “You’re going to come live with me and David and Stevie. And I want you to know that it’s okay to cry if you feel like it. Do you understand, Deni?” Patrick asked, holding his eyes. 

“Yeah,” Deni said, but he scuffed his foot against the floor like he didn’t want to agree. Patrick glanced up at him then, soft smile on his face.

“I love you,” Patrick said, and all of the tension drained out of David’s body. “We need to talk about this more later,” he said, eyes darting to the toddler standing between them, “but I need  _ you _ to know that I love you and I want this too, David.” Patrick stood, reaching down to offer him a hand up. “Do you remember where the kitchen is, Deni?” he asked and the little boy brightened, running off to find Stevie. 

“We walk in the house,” David called after him, taking Patrick’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> ❤️ Sunset


	2. Stevie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to keep this as close to canon as possible, but I got sad about Alexis and Ted, so they're married now.
> 
> I don't own the image in this chapter.  
> Image description: Man's hand holding up a set of children's pajamas with a sleeping starfish near a set with a dinosaur. There is a $2 Walmart clearance sign above the display.

“Stevie,” Deni cried happily, crashing into the back of her legs and wrapping his arms around them. “I’m gonna live with you,” he said, wiggling his finger through a hole in her jeans. “Lotsa people said so.” 

“They did, huh?” Stevie asked, heart capsizing in her chest. She could take him herself, maybe, if Patrick didn’t want him. I would be a tight fit, the two of them in her tiny apartment. She would have to drive all the way out to Elmdale for reliable childcare. It wouldn’t leave her much time to sleep and money would be tight for a while, but she could probably swing it. 

“We’re really looking forward to having you both,” Patrick said, eyeing her meaningfully as he wandered into the kitchen with David. Her gaze darted to their clasped hands and David’s wet, but happy eyes. 

“Come here, buddy,” David said, motioning him over to the sink. “Let’s wash those sticky little hands.” Deni pressed his forehead against the back of her thigh before scrambling over to him. Patrick wrapped an arm around her waist and she let him pull her against his body, head tucked under his chin. 

“You could have talked to me,” he chided gently. “You  _ should have _ talked to me.” 

“I know, I just, I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “He’s family, Patrick. I couldn’t-” The words wouldn’t come. Stevie didn’t know how to explain, without sounding seriously pathetic, that when she looked at Deni she saw herself. Not so long ago, Stevie was the too-small Budd with wide eyes and dirty brown curls, passed between family members until her mom sobered up enough to remember to feed her. Unlike Deni, no welfare agent had come to take her away. No one had ever offered her a way out

“You’re not alone anymore, Stevie,” Patrick said, voice rough with emotion. “You don’t have to try and do everything by yourself.” He squeezed her shoulders before pulling away to gather dishes from the cupboard. Stevie took a deep breath, pulling the chicken out of the oven. They were going to be okay.

“And we’re all going to need to do a lot better communicating with each other, especially about various random children that we’ve agreed to adopt, right David?” he asked, grinning fondly at his husband. David handed Deni a stack of napkins and silverware to set out.

“Mkay, sure, but Deni is not actually a random child,” David said, uncrossing his arms to gesture to the toddler. He carried the salad bowl to the table, moving to grab the dressing from the refrigerator. “I talk about Stevie’s cousins, like, all the time.” Stevie rolled her eyes; they only talked about them when they got high. David got too worked up otherwise. She’d had to talk him out of stealing Deni outright more than once. 

She transferred the chicken and vegetables to a serving plate and lifted Deni to sit on her lap at the table. They would need to run to Target tomorrow and grab some things for him. 

“Yeah, I gotta say, those stories make a lot more sense now,” Patrick said, coming to join them at the table. Stevie snorted, she was pretty sure David had just assumed Patrick knew he was talking about literal juice. “This looks really good, thank you, Stevie.”

“Thank you, Stevie,” Deni parroted, feet swinging under the table. They bounced lightly on her shins as he chomped on a chunk of chicken. 

“You’re welcome, bud,” she said. David finished cutting the rest of his food into bite sized pieces and slid it onto his plate. 

“David,” he said, “gotta say ‘thank you, Stevie’.” 

“Yeah, David,” she said, amusement on her face as she gestured to his dinner. “I’m waiting.” Patrick covered his laughter with a drink of water. Aside from all the parts that were going to be really fucking stressful, this was going to be fun.

So, maybe she fucked up throwing that idea out into the universe, because this was definitely not fun. The novelty of getting to see her and David had worn off halfway through his bath and now Deni was in full meltdown mode. 

“Alright, come on, buddy,” she said, lifting him out of the tub while he screamed and thrashed. David wrapped a towel around him and tucked him against his chest. Deni had needed a diaper change right after dinner. Patrick had taken one look at the trash bag and gotten a frighteningly calm look on his face. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he said in an even tone to the room at large. “I love you,” he called to no one in particular as he slipped out the door. 

David sat on the lid of the toilet, rocking Deni lightly while Stevie tried to mop the water from the floor. She dug through the dresser in the guest bedroom, coming up with an extra small Rose Apothecary t-shirt Alexis had left there the last time she slept over. When she came back, Deni was sniffling lightly into David’s chest while he worked a small amount of Patrick’s curl defining leave in conditioner into his hair. 

“There you go, buddy,” David softly. A lump formed in Stevie’s throat.

“Found it,” she said, holding out the shirt and a new pull up. David tried to slip it over his head.

“I can do it,” Deni said, pulling away and yanking it on. Both of his hands went through an arm hole. “Daaavid, help! I’m stuck.” Stevie snorted as David rightened the t-shirt. She snapped a picture to post to the Rose family text chat: David sopping wet and Deni standing on his lap, a Rose Apothecary t-shirt falling to his knees. Stevie held out the pull up and he stepped through. 

They tucked Deni into the guest bed, settling on either side of him. “‘m not tired yet,” he said, eyelids drooping as he burrowed beneath the comforter. David ran a hand over his back.

“Okay, buddy. David and I are just going to sit here until you are,” Stevie said, brushing the hair away from his face, “Sweet dreams, Deni, love you.” She loved him so much, he had no idea. She thought her heart might explode with it.

“Mkay, night Stevie, night night David,” Deni said with a yawn. Stevie’s heart swelled. 

“Goodnight, Deni,” David said, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “You are very loved.”

“Love you too,” Deni said, reaching a hand out in David’s direction to pat the comforter. David’s face softened. Stevie had to look away from the blind adoration on his face or she was going to cry for like the thirtieth time that day. She pulled out her phone to check the text chain.

Moira: Stevie!? David!? Where did you acquire a  bébé ???????

Alexis: Oh my god, Stevie, he looks like Dad in his little night shirt.

Moira: Patrick???

Johnny: Very funny, Alexis. 

Moira: !!!!

Johnny: Stevie, hugs to Denim from me, sweetheart. 

Alexis: Okay, but, like, David didn’t actually steal him tho, right?

Moira: Alexis!? The  bébé !

Alexis: Oh my god, Mom, you have literally met Little Budd like a dozen times. 

Stevie: Will do, Mr Rose. 

Alexis: Stevie, you misspelled Dad again.

Patrick: Alexis, thoughts?

David: Divorce?

Alexis: Ew, Patrick, no, we’re making fun of Stevie right now.

Patrick: Right, sorry, Mrs Mullens.

Alexis: Rude.

David: Patrick? To be clear, that picture was a joke, right?

Johnny: Kids, play nice.

David: Patrick?? Clearance?? Walmart??

Moira: Goodnight, children. It is time that your father and I retire to our chambers for the evening. 

Patrick: Goodnight guys.

Alexis: Ew, Mom.

David: Okay, well, thank you for that information, I’m adding bleach to my contact solution.

Stevie: night

Johnny: Goodnight, kids. 

Alexis called immediately after and Stevie scrambled to answer it before the buzzing woke Deni. She shot David an apologetic look and slipped out the door.

“Okay, but David didn’t actually steal Little Budd, right?” Alexis asked, “Because kidnaping’s, like, super illegal and we don’t exactly have the elite team of lawyers we did when we had to deal with that goat smuggling incident in Tuscany.”

“Wait, what?” Stevie asked.

“Hmm?” Alexis hummed dismissively, sound trailing off until Stevie was completed to fill the silence.

“No, um, David and I are adopting him,” she said, sliding down the wall to sit at the top of the stairs. 

“Ooo, I love that for you,” Alexis said, letting out a happy squeal, “and I’m going to be an Aunt. Oh my god, Stevie, this is such a cute look for us.” 

“Yeah, I guess so,” Stevie said, fiddling with her hoodie strings. She was never quite sure what to say to Alexis. 

“Stevie?” Alexis asked, sounding soft and uncertain. “Do you, um, do you think having a baby would, like, also be a cute look for me?” Stevie was reminded, suddenly, of how much younger she actually was than the rest of them. “Like, hypothetically, um, if I needed to make that choice, because Ted and I haven’t actually talked about kids and it’s already a lot to make the long distance thing work, so.”

“Hypothetically,” Stevie said, “I think you should do whatever-”

“Okay, but like, hypothetically, how would I even make that work?” Alexis asked, huffing impatiently. 

“You could start by actually talking to your husband about this,” Stevie said, rolling her eyes. “Trust me, I am literally the last person you should ask for parenting advice right now.” 

“Okay, but, you’re kind of like the only one I can ask for parenting advice right now,” she said. 

“I’m hanging up now,” Stevie said, “talk to Ted.” Alexis let out a dramatic groan. “Alexis?”

“Hmm?”

“You wouldn’t be the worst mom,” Stevie said, plucking at a loose thread and watching it drift toward the carpet. 

“Aww, Stevie, love you too,” Alexis said, hanging up the phone. Stevie glanced down the steps to see Patrick frozen on the landing. 

"So, big day for the Roses," he said, hefting an array of shopping bags up the stairs. 

"I won't tell David we found out before he did if you don't," Stevie said.

"Deal," he said, frowning, “although, I am surprised he wasn’t out here to hear it himself. I sent a message that I was on my way back.” They poked their heads in the guest room to find David asleep on top of the covers, body curled around Deni. Patrick took a picture before waking him. 

Stevie followed them into the mostly empty third bedroom they had been using for storage. Patrick had, in fact, bought a few sets of pajamas on clearance at Walmart. Likely in an attempt to appease David, the rest of the clothes were neutral colors, with a few blue and green pieces thrown in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very, very much for reading! I am so grateful for all of the love this fic has gotten!  
> ❤️ Sunset


	3. Patrick

“See you soon,” Patrick said, leaning in to kiss David goodbye as he headed out the door. “I love you.” There was a bit of a scramble at breakfast when they realized David had vendor pickups scheduled all day and Stevie had the opening shift at the motel. 

“I love you too,” David said, hugging him and Deni, “have a good day with Patrick, I’ll see you at dinner.” The stood on the porch, waving David off as he drove away. Patrick ushered Deni back in the house.

“Alright buddy, which shoes?” Patrick held up a pair of [ black converse ](https://www.mynavyexchange.com/products/images/xlarge/5566820_001.jpg) and a pair decorated with [ blue and grey sharks ](https://images.journeys.com/images/products/1_603513_ZM_ALT1.JPG?_ga=2.27503295.244146117.1593982746-1911501997.1593982746). Deni's face scrunched up in consideration and Patrick’s whole heart melted in his chest at the resemblance to Stevie.

“These are like David,” Deni said with finality, taking the plain high tops. He grinned as Patrick helped him get them on the right feet. “Look, now we match.” He held up one of his feet, gesturing to the shoe.

“You do,” Patrick smoothed a hand over his hair as he gathered some things to keep him occupied into a bag for the day. “All set?” Patrick asked as they made their way outside. Deni nodded, reaching out for Patrick’s hand. He kept up a happy, mindless chatter on their walk into town. A few blocks away from the store, he started dragging his feet, tiring from the distance. 

“Whoa,” Deni giggled as Patrick lifted him up onto his shoulders. “Patrick, I’m so tall now! Taller than Stevie.” Deni gasped as a thought occurred to him, “Patrick?” He poked Patrick lightly in the shoulder to get his attention. As if Patrick had somehow forgotten that the boy was there. 

“Yeah, buddy?” Patrick asked, laughing softly.

“Am I taller than David?” he asked conspiratorially. Patrick nodded seriously, pressing his lips together to keep from outright laughing at the question. 

“I think so,” he said. 

“Wow,” Deni whispered. He let out another little gasp, hands clapping over Patrick’s hair. “We match too,” he said, tugging lightly on Patrick’s curls. 

“Yeah,” Patrick said, the accompanying swell of emotion taking his breath away, “I guess we do, don’t we?” Deni hummed happily, giggling with delight as Patrick hummed a short melody back to him. They played their little game all the way to the store. 

“Okay, Deni,” Patrick said, lifting him off his shoulders. He crouched down to look the little boy in the eye. “This is a very special place,” he said seriously, “this is my favorite place in the whole world, actually, because I got to build it from the ground up with David.” Deni turned, taking in the storefront with wide eyes. “You’re special to me now too, so I want to share it with you. Do you understand?” Patrick asked, brushing the boy’s hair from his face.

Deni nodded, “Stevie says the store is David’s baby.” His eyebrows scrunched up. “Stores aren’t babies, Patrick.” 

“No, they’re not, buddy,” Patrick laughed, shaking his head. “I think she probably meant that David and I spend a lot of time taking care of the store, the same way you would with a baby.”

“Oh, okay,” Deni said, nodding seriously, “but the store can still be my sister, right? Even if it’s not an actual baby.” 

“Sure, Deni,” Patrick said, standing to unlock the front door, “let’s go meet your sister.” 

Patrick had been a little worried that he wouldn’t be able to look after Deni and the customers at the same time. It turned out Deni was pretty good at occupying himself, used to being self-sufficient in a sea of indifferent adults. Patrick made sure to check in on him often, but he seemed genuinely happy to curl up on the couch and flip through books or play with his new toys on the floor of the back room. 

“Hi there,” Jocelyn said softly, crouching down to look under one of the long tables in the middle of the room. She kept one hand on Roland Jr stroller. “Are you lost, little guy?” She glanced around the room, seeing only Patrick. “Where are your parents?”

“They’re in prison,” Deni answered brightly before going back to scribbling on his paper. 

“Oh, um, that’s certainly something,” Jocelyn said, blinking as she processed that information. “Do you know where you’re supposed to be now, sweetie?”

“Yeah, I getta live with Stevie and David now,” Deni said, grinning as he glanced up at her. He gestured toward the counter, “David’s Patrick is over there. He matches my hair.” 

“Okay, have fun with your crayons, honey,” Jocelyn said, grabbing the toilet paper and tea she had come in for and bringing it up to the counter. 

“Did you find everything okay?” Patrick asked as he rung her up. 

“I did, you have the sweetest little helper down there,” Jocelyn said, hanging her tote over the handle of the stroller as she gestured towards Deni. “I would love to set up a playdate with Roland Jr, the little guy could always use some more friends.”

“That would be nice, thank you Jocelyn,” Patrick said as she made her way to the door, “We’ll be in touch.” Patrick laughed to himself; the whole town would know about Deni by lunch. 

Deni crawled out from beneath the table a few minutes later, rushing to show Patrick his drawing. In his haste he knocked over a jar of body milk and it shattered on the floor with a crash. “Stay still, buddy,” Patrick said, hurrying around the counter. He lifted Deni out of the mess. “Go sit in the back while I clean this up,” Patrick said, nudging him in that direction, “I don’t want you to cut yourself.” Deni nodded, clutching his paper to his chest, and disappeared around the corner.

Patrick grabbed a roll of paper towel from under the counter, mopping up the moisturizer and small bits of glass into a paper bag. He threw everything in the trash once he was satisfied he hadn’t missed anything. He threw the mess away and went to find Deni. 

“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Patrick asked, sitting beside Deni on the couch. The little boy was curled up in a ball in the corner, sniffling into his knees.

“I breaked it,” Deni whimpered. “I don’t mean to be bad.”

“Hey, come here,” Patrick said, lifting Deni into his lap. “You weren’t bad, honey. It was an accident.” Patrick ran a soothing hand down his back.

“You’re not mad?” Deni asked, lifting his face from Patrick’s shirt. 

“No, Deni,” Patrick said, “I’m not mad. It was an accident and it’s all cleaned up now. You didn’t do anything wrong, buddy.” Deni scowled.

“But Daddy would be mad,” he said, sniffling. “Breaking things means I’m bad.” 

“You’re not bad, Deni,” Patrick said with conviction, heart aching in his chest. He liked to think of himself as a fairly level headed person, but it was probably for the best that Sean was far out of his reach. “I’m very sorry you feel that way. I love you very much,” he said, pressing a kiss to Deni’s forehead.

“You love me?” Deni asked, eyeing him skeptically. Patrick nodded, tearing up a little. He should have told him yesterday. He should have told him the first second he met him.

“Yeah, buddy,” he said, “of course I do.” 

“Promise?” Deni asked, fiddling with the edge of his picture. Patrick forgot sometimes, even after everything, that some people didn’t grow up hearing it every day. He would tell Deni, the way he had done with David and Stevie, as often and as deliberately as possible, until he believed it.

“I love you, Deni,” Patrick said, tilting his chin up to look him in the eye, “I promise I do.” Deni took a shuddery, deep breath.

“Okay,” he said, nodding to himself. “This is for you.” Deni turned over the picture and shoved it against Patrick’s chest. Patrick held the paper where they could both see. 

“Oh,” Patrick said, feeling the breath punch out of his body. It was a drawing of the four of them, Stevie, Deni, David, and Patrick. “Thank you, Deni,” he said.

“It’s not very good,” Deni said, shrugging.

“It’s the best.” Patrick hugged the drawing and the little boy to his chest. “I’m going to keep it forever.” David had no complaints about the frame this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> ❤️ Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> I welcome any and all feedback!! Thank you so much for reading!!


End file.
